Mar. 11, 2005
Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-4769)
James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281/483-5111)
STATUS REPORT: SS05-013
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS05-013
The International Space Station crew has unpacked the Progress cargo
spacecraft, and they are preparing to replace a faulty component in
the Quest Airlock with a new unit delivered on the supply craft.
The replacement of the heat exchanger is scheduled for next week. The
job will set the stage to restore use of the airlock as a base for
spacewalks using U.S. spacesuits. The heat exchanger provides cooling
for the suits, while they are connected to the airlock.
Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Station Science Officer Leroy Chiao
and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov also conducted some routine
periodic maintenance and inspection tasks, including strategic
placement of sound measuring devices that document noise levels. This
typically is done twice during a crew's six-month stay aboard the
Station.
The second and final spacewalk for Chiao and Sharipov is scheduled for
the early morning hours Monday, March 28. To prepare Chiao moved the
Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm into position this week for optimum
camera viewing and conducted several maneuvers to review spacewalk
worksites.
The Station's Elektron oxygen-generating system has operated
intermittently during the past week. Sharipov is scheduled to perform
further troubleshooting efforts on the device tomorrow. The problem
has not impacted the replenishment of oxygen in the Station cabin.
The Elektron, which converts water into oxygen, is one of several
methods for replenishing oxygen on board the Station.
This week Sharipov set up an experiment gathering measurements of
radiation. He also worked with another experiment to study
high-efficiency strains of microorganisms for producing petroleum
biodegradation compounds.
Both crewmembers took turns as patient and doctor on the Advanced
Diagnostic in Ultrasound in Microgravity experiment. The experiment
studies the use of remote ultrasound observation in space to allow
doctors on the ground to diagnose medical conditions. Information
about crew activities on the Space Station, future launch dates and
Station sighting opportunities from Earth, is available on the
Internet at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/
For information about NASA's return to flight activities on the Web,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight
For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
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